Czechia

Radio broadcast stations

AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA

Radios

NA

Telephone system

domestic: NA international : satellite earth stations - 2 Intersputnik (Atlantic and Indian Ocean Regions)

Telephones

3,349,539 (1993 est.)

Television broadcast stations

NA

Televisions

NA

Agriculture - products

grains, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, cattle, poultry; forest products

Budget

revenues: $18.4 billion expenditures: $18.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1996 est.)

Currency

1 koruna (Kc) = 100 haleru

Debt - external

$17.1 billion (1996 est.)

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $27 million (1993)

Economy - overview

Western observers view the Czech Republic as one of the most politically and economically stable post-Communist states. Its key macroeconomic indicators are, in the aggregate, the best in the region, and public opinion polls show strong support for reform. The country emerged from recession in 1994 with 2.6% growth and reached about 5% growth in both 1995 and 1996 while keeping a balanced budget and reorienting exports to the EU. Inflation and unemployment of 8.7% and 3.3% respectively in 1996 are among the lowest in the region. Prague's mass privatization program, including its innovative distribution of ownership shares to Czech citizens via "coupon vouchers," has made the most rapid progress in Eastern Europe. About 80% of the economy is in private hands or is partially privatized. The Czech Republic appears to be the East European frontrunner in economic integration with the West; for example, in 1996 it began to strengthen its bankruptcy law and to improve the transparency of stock market operations. It was the first post-Communist member of the OECD and is expected to be in the next group of new EU members. Its solid economic performance has led Standard and Poor's to upgrade the country's sovereign credit rating to "A" and has attracted over $6.7 billion in direct foreign investment to Czech industry between 1990 and September 1996 - one quarter from the US. Prague's biggest macroeconomic concerns now are mounting trade and current account deficits. In addition, the Czech economy still faces transition problems. The government continues to exert too much direct and indirect influence on the privatized economy, and the management of privatized firms sometimes is ineffective. Insufficient regulation and lack of public information in the capital markets and the banking system, combined with a shortage of experienced financial analysts, limit the ability to distribute new credit efficiently. The judicial system also has trouble speedily processing bankruptcy cases. Prague has promised to overhaul its bankruptcy law and improve stock market and bank operations, but it will take years to ensure compliance. Prague forecasts a balanced budget, 4.5% GDP growth, 3.3% unemployment and 7.5% to 8% inflation for 1997.

Electricity - capacity

13.85 million kW (1994)

Electricity - consumption per capita

4,712 kWh (1995 est.)

Electricity - production

55.38 billion kWh (1994)

Exchange rates

koruny (Kcs) per US$1 - 27.516 (January 1997), 27.145 (1996), 26.541 (1995), 28.785 (1994), 29.153 (1993), 28.26 (1992) note: values before 1993 reflect Czechoslovak exchange rates

Exports

total value: $21.9 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.) commodities: manufactured goods 32.4%, machinery and transport equipment 26.3%, chemicals 10.4%, raw materials and fuel 11.3% (1995) partners : EU 55.1%, Eastern Europe, excluding Slovakia, and CIS countries 16.9%, Slovakia 16.2%, developing countries 6.6%, EFTA 1.8% (1995)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $114.3 billion (1996 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 4% industry: 43% services : 53% (1996 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $11,100 (1996 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

5% (1996 est.)

Imports

total value: $27.8 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.) commodities: machinery and transport equipment 35.6%, manufactured goods 17.9%, chemicals 13.2%, raw materials and fuels 14.4% (1994) partners : EU 56.4%, Eastern Europe, excluding Slovakia, and CIS countries 15.7%, Slovakia 13.1%, developing countries 6.0%, EFTA 2.5% (1995)

Industrial production growth rate

6.4% (1996 est.)

Industries

fuels, ferrous metallurgy, machinery and equipment, coal, motor vehicles, glass, armaments

Inflation rate - consumer price index

8.7% (1996 est.)

Labor force

total: 5.107 million (1996) by occupation: industry 33.1%, agriculture 6.9%, construction 9.1%, transport and communications 7.2%, services 43.7% (1994)

Unemployment rate

3.3% (1996 est.)

Area

total: 78,703 sq km land: 78,645 sq km water: 58 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than South Carolina

Climate

temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation extremes

lowest point : Elbe River 115 m highest point: Snezka 1,602 m

Environment - current issues

air and water pollution in areas of northwest Bohemia and in northern Moravia around Ostrava present health risks; acid rain damaging forests

Environment - international agreements

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol

Geographic coordinates

49 45 N, 15 30 E

Geography - note

landlocked; strategically located astride some of oldest and most significant land routes in Europe; Moravian Gate is a traditional military corridor between the North European Plain and the Danube in central Europe

Irrigated land

240 sq km (1993 est.)

Land boundaries

total: 1,881 km border countries: Austria 362 km, Germany 646 km, Poland 658 km, Slovakia 215 km

Land use

arable land: 41% permanent crops: 2% permanent pastures: 11% forests and woodland: 34% other: 12% (1993 est.)

Location

Central Europe, southeast of Germany

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards

NA

Natural resources

hard coal, soft coal, kaolin, clay, graphite

Terrain

Bohemia in the west consists of rolling plains, hills, and plateaus surrounded by low mountains; Moravia in the east consists of very hilly country

Administrative divisions

8 regions (kraje, kraj - singular); Jihocesky, Jihomoravsky, Praha, Severocesky, Severomoravsky, Stredocesky, Vychodocesky, Zapadocesky

Constitution

ratified 16 December 1992; effective 1 January 1993

Country name

conventional long form: Czech Republic conventional short form: Czech Republic local long form: Ceska Republika local short form: Ceska Republika

Data code

EZ

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Jenonne R. WALKER embassy : Trziste 15, 11801 Prague 1 mailing address: Unit 1330, APO AE 09213 telephone: [420] (2) 5732-0663

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Alexander VONDRA chancery: 3900 Spring of Freedom Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 274-9101, 9102

Executive branch

chief of state: President Vaclav HAVEL (since 26 January 1993) head of government : Prime Minister Vaclav KLAUS (since NA June 1992); Deputy Prime Ministers Ivan KOCARNIK (since NA June 1992), Josef LUX (since NA June 1992), Josef ZIELENIEC (since NA June 1992) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections : president elected by Parliament for a five-year term; election last held 26 January 1993 (next to be held NA January 1998); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Vaclav HAVEL elected president; percent of parliamentary vote - NA

FAX

[1] (202) 966-8540 consulate(s) general : Los Angeles

FAX

[420] (2) 5732-0920

Flag description

two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side (almost identical to the flag of the former Czechoslovakia)

Government type

parliamentary democracy

Independence

1 January 1993 (from Czechoslovakia)

International organization participation

Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE (guest), CEI, CERN, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NACC, NSG, OECD, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMOP, UNOMIG, UNPREDEP, UNTAES, UPU, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Judicial branch

Supreme Court, chairman and deputy chairmen are appointed by the president; Constitutional Court, chairman and deputy chairmen are appointed by the president

Legal system

civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; legal code modified to bring it in line with Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) obligations and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal theory

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate (81 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve staggered two-, four-, and six-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Snemovna Poslancu (200 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections : Senate - last held 15-16 and 22-23 November 1996 (next to be held NA November 1998 - to replace/re-elect 20 senators serving two-year terms); Chamber of Deputies - last held 31 May-1 June 1996 (next to be held NA May 2000) election results : Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - governing coalition (ODS 32, KDU-CSL 13, ODA 7), opposition (CSSD 25, KCSM 2, DEU 1, independent 1); Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - governing coalition (ODS 68, KDU-CSL 18, ODA 13), opposition (CSSD 61, KCSM 22, SPR-RSC 18)

National capital

Prague

National holiday

National Liberation Day, 8 May; Founding of the Republic, 28 October

Political parties and leaders

governing coalition : Civic Democratic Party or ODS [Vaclav KLAUS, chairman]; Civic Democratic Alliance or ODA [Michael ZANTOVSKY, chairman]; Christian Democratic Union-Czech People's Party or KDU-CSL [Josef LUX, chairman] opposition: Czech Social Democrats or CSSD - left opposition [Milos ZEMAN, chairman]; Communist Party or KSCM - left opposition [Miroslav GREBENICEK, chairman]; Assembly for the Republic or SPR-RSC - extreme right radical [Miroslav SLADEK, chairman]; Democratic Union or DEU [Ratibor MAJZLIK, chairman]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Czech-Moravian Chamber of Trade Unions; Civic Movement

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Military branches

Army, Air and Air Defense Forces, Civil Defense, Railroad Units

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$1.22 billion (1996)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

2.2% (1996)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 2,715,759 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males: 2,068,143 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - military age

18 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males : 84,516 (1997 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 18% (male 930,874; female 886,444) 15-64 years : 69% (male 3,542,900; female 3,539,351) 65 years and over: 13% (male 535,049; female 863,706) (July 1997 est.)

Birth rate

8.84 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate

11.02 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Ethnic groups

Czech 94.4%, Slovak 3%, Polish 0.6%, German 0.5%, Gypsy 0.3%, Hungarian 0.2%, other 1%

Infant mortality rate

6.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Languages

Czech, Slovak

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 73.86 years male: 70.49 years female: 77.42 years (1997 est.)

Literacy

definition: age NA and over can read and write total population: 99% (est.) male: NA% female : NA%

Nationality

noun: Czech(s) adjective: Czech note: 300,000 Slovaks declared themselves Czech citizens in 1994

Net migration rate

0.93 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Population

10,298,324 (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate

-0.13% (1997 est.)

Religions

atheist 39.8%, Roman Catholic 39.2%, Protestant 4.6%, Orthodox 3%, other 13.4%

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years : 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.17 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Disputes - international

Liechtenstein claims restitution for 1,600 sq km of Czech territory confiscated from its royal family in 1918; the Czech Republic insists that restitution does not go back before February 1948, when the communists seized power; individual Sudeten German claims for restitution of property confiscated in connection with their expulsion after World War II; unresolved property issues with Slovakia over redistribution of property of the former Czechoslovak federal government

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and hashish and Latin American cocaine to Western Europe; domestic consumption - especially of locally produced synthetic drugs - on the rise DENMARK

Airports

116 (1994 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total : 29 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 under 914 m: 5 (1994 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 87 over 3,047 m : 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 32 under 914 m : 41 (1994 est.)

Highways

total: 124,770 km paved: 16,719 km (including 414 km of expressways) unpaved : 108,051 km (1995 est.)

Merchant marine

total: 4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 80,117 GRT/134,890 DWT ships by type: bulk 3, cargo 1 (1996 est.)

Pipelines

natural gas 5,400 km

Ports and harbors

Decin, Prague, Usti nad Labem

Railways

total: 9,441 km standard gauge : 9,345 km 1.435-m standard gauge (2641 km electrified at three voltages) narrow gauge: 96 km two narrow gauges (1995)

Waterways

NA km; the Elbe (Labe) is the principal river